Well, this place seems to have had a following, judging by some of the posts. But just because you can brew, and brew well, doesn't mean you can (or even want to) run a business. The two bases must somehow be covered.

I had a taste for their nut brown about...10 years ago when they were in the smaller building accessed through the Mobil parking lot. Hell, I thought they were already out of business, as the old brewery is empty...Hmm...

I found the beers to be average to the point I did not want to spend my money on them when I picked up supplies. I would usually have the IPA it was OK. The wife liked the Screaming Pumpkin in the fall. The bulk grain prices were the best I found as were most of the thing they sold. My impression of the main dude , a little shady. I always thought they needed a little more edge to all brews.

I found the beers to be average to the point I did not want to spend my money on them when I picked up supplies. I would usually have the IPA it was OK. The wife liked the Screaming Pumpkin in the fall. The bulk grain prices were the best I found as were most of the thing they sold. My impression of the main dude , a little shady. I always thought they needed a little more edge to all brews.

Me too. Average beer in most cases, with a couple of exceptions. They did a lot of "contract brews" with other people's names on them. They had a lot of capacity.

I think if they could have managed to nail down a couple of good imperial recipes, to generate some buzz, they could have done better. They made some light lagers that IMO weren't any better than a good BMC product, but cost more. Hard to get BMC drinkers interested in paying more for the same thing.

This a shame to see any Michigan company go down. Well hopefully those who liked the MBC's beers will migrate to drinking beers from the other brewing companies in our fine state. Their only beer worth buying a 6er of in my opinion was the Celis White and over the last couple years even that was not quite what it once was. From the last update I got from a "little bird" they are completely done.

drhookmec Hopmans is ok. Rick is a great guy however there is another homebrew shop that I like better than Hopmans. Check out the Malty Dog in Southfield. They do not have quite the selection of some shops but they have the essentials, lower prices than any place in the area, and they are also a brew pub. Their beer is excellent. I love the fact I can walk in, hand them a recipe and have a pint while they mill my grain.

drhookmec Hopmans is ok. Rick is a great guy however there is another homebrew shop that I like better than Hopmans. Check out the Malty Dog in Southfield. They do not have quite the selection of some shops but they have the essentials, lower prices than any place in the area, and they are also a brew pub. Their beer is excellent. I love the fact I can walk in, hand them a recipe and have a pint while they mill my grain.

Staffing issues. Bobby could never, ever keep a brewer on his staff. Never. Sure, the second generation Brockmiller was a great guy and loyal to the end (he was there up until the very last day), but Bobby never allowed him to develop as a brewer. Truly, anyone that came through Michigan Brewing that tried to grow as a brewer were quickly driven out by Bobby and his micromanaging theatrics.

And the rest of the staff. Bobby paid sh*t wages, and thus got a sh*t staff, folks that were not well kept, well mannered, or the least bit professional. Sure, there was the occasional bright and professional bar maid or server, but that was rare.

And the menu....average at best. When MBC moved to the new facility, there was the chance to install a real kitchen, put some real food on the menu, and make it a destination. Nope. We'll stick with the lousy sandwiches and canned soups. (Anyone remember Laura's Five Candle White Chicken Chili from the old place?)

And the ambiance, or lack of it. The bar and immediate pub area were OK, but rest of the joint reminded you of a friggin' church basement, and there were zero efforts to change that. Who wants to relax in someplace with linoleum floors, painted walls, and ceiling tiles? Institutional yuck.

And that "patio". Right out in the blazing sun on a concrete slab, sure, let's roast the guests like sun dried tomatoes.

And the wood fired pizzas...and the barbeque that never was...and on and on and on until he pissed it all away.

Staffing issues. Bobby could never, ever keep a brewer on his staff. Never. Sure, the second generation Brockmiller was a great guy and loyal to the end (he was there up until the very last day), but Bobby never allowed him to develop as a brewer. Truly, anyone that came through Michigan Brewing that tried to grow as a brewer were quickly driven out by Bobby and his micromanaging theatrics.

And the rest of the staff. Bobby paid sh*t wages, and thus got a sh*t staff, folks that were not well kept, well mannered, or the least bit professional. Sure, there was the occasional bright and professional bar maid or server, but that was rare.

And the menu....average at best. When MBC moved to the new facility, there was the chance to install a real kitchen, put some real food on the menu, and make it a destination. Nope. We'll stick with the lousy sandwiches and canned soups. (Anyone remember Laura's Five Candle White Chicken Chili from the old place?)

And the ambiance, or lack of it. The bar and immediate pub area were OK, but rest of the joint reminded you of a friggin' church basement, and there were zero efforts to change that. Who wants to relax in someplace with linoleum floors, painted walls, and ceiling tiles? Institutional yuck.

And that "patio". Right out in the blazing sun on a concrete slab, sure, let's roast the guests like sun dried tomatoes.

And the wood fired pizzas...and the barbeque that never was...and on and on and on until he pissed it all away.

I've been there 2-3 times and am sorry to see it like this, but that's a pretty accurate statement. I've heard from several others that he did a terrible job managing the place and people. Nothing "interesting" about MBC is one thing that helped do it in. They had capacity. They lacked any style. The other things I didn't like??